Back Row: Jaxon, Wilfred, Sophie, Dylan, Malaika
Middle Row: Utalia, Siena (Room 3), Iva (Room 2), Aaliyah (Room 1), Piuela
Front Row: Arpith, Mateo, Ivar, Lucas A, Mila
This week Siena, Iva and Aaliyah received a Mercy Award on behalf of their respective classes. We were very proud to hear from Mr Shaw this morning how responsible and respectful our senior swimmers were when there was a medical emergency at the pool. The pool staff and senior school staff were so impressed it was felt they all deserved a Mercy Award (getting a picture of them all might have been a bit chaotic though)!

Back Row: Roman, Clare
Front Row: Esther A, Aria, Casey

Last Sunday marked a beautiful and significant day for many tamariki from our kura and our friends at St Brigid's school!

The 11 a.m. Mass was filled with joy as these children gathered to receive the special Sacrament of their First Holy Communion. Looking absolutely amazing in their special attire, the concentration and reverence on their faces showed just how important this moment was. We were all proud to be there to witness them take this significant step in their faith journey. Here are some of their reflections about the day:

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, a time for us to begin to prepare to celebrate of the birth of Jesus. On the first Sunday of Advent, the first purple candle (symbolising hope) on the advent wreath is lit. This morning Room 8 led us in a lovely prayer assembly, where they talked about what we can do to get ready to welcome Jesus. These little people, so enthusiastic and delightful, certainly fill the room with hope.

Alaiyah's new baby brother  arrived safely on the 25th of November, weighing a healthy 9.10 pounds. Congratulations to Alaiyah and her whānau. 

Our gymnastics club has been running all year and Tuesday was the last day. This was a time for the gymnasts to show their skills and celebrate their learning. A big thank you must go to all the coaches (adult and senior students), your dedication and commitment is much appreciated. Congratulations to Jubilee who was awarded 'Gymnast of the Year'.

Koinei tā matou mihimihi whakamutunga o te tau. Aksa, Gowri, Amae, Marley, Senara, Jeriah me Ivanio, e harikoa ana matou ki a koe i to matou kura!

Over the next few weeks we are fortunate enough to have Patrick Kennedy taking some digital technology lessons in each of the classes. Today Room 7 were the first class to meet and work with Patrick. They were introduced to Scratch, a visual programming language that allows students to create their own interactive stories, games and animations. I can report they were highly engaged in their work.

 

This week was the last session of Bernie's Beginners for the year and it has been a real privilege to welcome lots of delightful tamariki and their family to our kura over this time. A huge thank you must go to Mary-Lee and Mrs Christophers (with the support of Kaz and Mrs Waldron) for the hard work and commitment they put in to make sure our little learners enjoy their sessions. We know that having this time to get familiar with the environment and people makes the transition to school so much easier! Room 8 and the Bernie's Beginners certainly enjoyed our final session, which included Christmas activities and treats!

This morning the classes had a great time meeting their classroom teacher for 2026 and exploring the new classroom spaces. They had lots of fun playing games, learning about each other and even creating some art work to greet them in 2026.
Senior School
Year 6 Room 1- Mr. Gerard Shaw
Year 5 Room 3- Miss Amy Fitzgerald
Year 4 Room 2- Mr. Roger Bone

Junior School
Year 3- Room 7- Ms Sharon Tayles
Year 2- Room 6- Mrs Mel Atkinson
Year 2- Room 5- Mrs Siobhan Burke
Year 1- Room 4- Miss Keili Amato
New Entrants- Room 8- Mrs Andrea Christophers

Miss Lori Waldron - Classroom Release/Support. Mathematics Intervention Kaiako
Mrs Sharlene Gillespie - Classroom Release Kaiako
Mrs Sarah Wellington - Literacy Intervention Kaiako

We look forward to 2026 and if you know anyone planning on joining us next year please get in touch with the office.
office@stbernadettes.school.nz

This week was the last library session in the hall and over the coming weeks we will begin setting up the new building as our library / whānau room space. We are expecting the deck to be completed over the weekend and are planning a special blessing and celebration to officially open this space on Friday the 5th of December at 2:15 p.m. Friends and Whanau are welcome to come early and join with us.

Henry and a rotating group of classmates have been working with Miss Amato on a LEGO Education series over the past two terms.  In their sessions, each member of the team takes on one of three important roles: Engineer, Supplier, or Builder. The engineer tells the supplier which pieces to find, and guides the builder through each step. The supplier locates the correct pieces and passes them on to the builder, who then assembles the bricks to bring the creation to life.

Over the past two weeks, Henry, Rubi, and Serah teamed up to build a Race Car and a Car Carrier Truck. They worked so well together that they even finished ahead of schedule.

For those who saw our Bernie’s Got Talent production in Term 2, you might remember Henry sharing both his LEGO knowledge and his impressive building skills, as well as his dream job! He hopes to become a LEGO Master Builder one day, and from what we can see, he’s definitely on his way.

Our senior school swimming lessons have now been completed, with junior swimming about to start next week. At St Bernadette's we consider swimming an important part of our physical education programme. Isali and Frida have very clearly expressed some reasons why they think swimming is important.

Home & School are having an end of year raffle with 10 amazing prize packs to be won. Each family has been allocated one raffle card (10 tickets @ $2) to sell if they able to. The raffle draw will be at the end of the Nativity performance on Monday the 15th of December, all cards need to be back at school by 12 p.m on that day to be included in the draw. Funds raised will be used to level and re-grass the bottom field, which is being done over the holiday break.

Please note that this is the last week of Futsal.